I've sold and bought literally hundreds of things off Craigslist and networked via the musicans section dozens of times in the past few years. However it seems now anyone I talk to is insane. Is it just me in my city or are people on craigslist getting stupider?

Situation 1- I respond to an ad with 3 drums pictured and no phone number. I send an email and ask what sizes are the drums? can I call you to set up a time to check them out" my reply was "No we don't deal with scammers go fish for some phonenumbers elsewhere expletive" Was that called for? why wouldn't I ask for a phone number if one wasn't listed? I emailed them using a .edu email account...huh?

Situation 2- I have an ad up looking for a guitarist. I get a response "Looking still?" I reply yes and send maybe 4-5 sentances of information about the band pretty standard stuff and ask them a few questions. My reply back is in all caps and just says "DIDNT ASK FOR YOUR expletive LIFE STORY GEEZ"

But I had to write and say how much I admire your reserve.
I couldn't have helped myself. I'd still be pissing them off with antagonistic or trolling emails as we speak, if I had have recieved the same responses.

That god for ebay. I have only pleasant experiences to note from my exchanges there.

But I had to write and say how much I admire your reserve.
I couldn't have helped myself. I'd still be pissing them off with antagonistic or trolling emails as we speak, if I had have recieved the same responses.

That god for ebay. I have only pleasant experiences to note from my exchanges there.

Crazy??? You're a bloody saint my friend. ;-)

It's just so strange that I always have had really good luck or know right away the person won't be a good fit or It's not worth checking an item out, but the past few exchanges have gone really bad. I want to troll so bad but I was using my legit email lol and the one musician response ad guy got the name and info of my band.

+1 for Portland, Oregon. When I used to look at the ads, all I would see was over-priced items--a lot of them MORE than retail (a Sonor Safari shell pack for $700? I'll take two, thank you...). But, when it came time for me to sell things, everyone was suddenly a low-balling wheeler-dealer, and when they finally talked you down to 10% of retail, they flaked out on your scheduled meeting time. Oh, and then there are the random flaggers that every so often pick one ad and flag it every time it gets posted. You see the ad getting re-posted time and time again, with the poster pleading for whoever is flagging them to tell them WHY they are being flagged, and never getting an answer. Plus, only one out of every twenty people you deal with on there are decent human beings, it seems. I never met at my house due to the extreme sketchiness that I saw time and time again. And, when you actually met someone that could qualify a sane and level-headed, there was this awkward pouring out of gratitude from the other person, thanking you for not being a sketchy low-balling flake.

I'm amazing I kept checking it out for so long. Not for me anymore. My days of buying and selling on craigslist are over as of last month. Good riddance.

Situation 2- I have an ad up looking for a guitarist. I get a response "Looking still?" I reply yes and send maybe 4-5 sentances of information about the band pretty standard stuff and ask them a few questions. My reply back is in all caps and just says "DIDNT ASK FOR YOUR expletive LIFE STORY GEEZ"

Ridiculous. If I was responding to your ad, I would've been happy that someone is even trying to give me some info. Everybody I ever talk to keeps everything on the DL and doesn't give me any information about the project what so ever.

A somewhat unrelated experience: I inquired about a cymbal some guy was selling. We emailed back and forth, talked a bit and discussed the fact that my transportation was an issue so I might have issues getting to the cymbal. He said that was fine and we agreed that I'd get back to him in a week when I could possibly get a ride. A week went past and i was able to line up a ride. I contacted him back and he told me that he was no longer selling the cymbal because he was sick of people like me stringing him along. What the hell?

In the past, I've had good luck buying things, and my wife has sold several things with little hassle.

But in the past few months, we have been trying to sell off our baby crib and toddler bed, and no luck. People flag our ad and get it removed. People don't show up when they say they will. It's been a nightmare trying to sell off something a lot of people need!

And it seems many of my friends are suddenly having major issues with craigslist they never had before.

Situation 1- I respond to an ad with 3 drums pictured and no phone number. I send an email and ask what sizes are the drums? can I call you to set up a time to check them out" my reply was "No we don't deal with scammers go fish for some phonenumbers elsewhere expletive" Was that called for? why wouldn't I ask for a phone number if one wasn't listed? I emailed them using a .edu email account...huh?

Am I crazy or is everyone else on CL crazy?

I think what you're facing is the "free-ness" of stuff on the internet. When you put things on eBay, you have to pay for it. Which means you're smart enough to read eBay's contract with you and understand what you're being charged for and how it gets paid. Craig's List, like that ol' standby the Recycler, functions alot cheaper or even free in some cases. Which means, it attracts people with no money hoping to get some. They don't understand that it takes money to make money, so alot of the blanks are left, well, blank.

There was time a few years ago when Knott's Berry Farm decided to let everyone in for a nickel. There was almost a riot outside the park and traffic jammed the streets. This is what happens when you give things away for free. You attract riff raff! Magic Mountain has a serious gang violence problem especially on those days they let people in for an aluminum can for their can drives. It's amazing. There's a reason things cost money, and a civil experience is one of them. It's a shame.

I've never dealt with Craig's List nor do I intend to. I'm not above anybody, really, it's just that things that are obviously so low-ball, really go below where I'm at on their own.

By the way, this is a real ad I recently found on Craig's List, in Los Angeles:

Rock Drummer Looking for New Project -

Yo. Posting says it all; no, I'm not a hired gun nor do I want money to rehearse with a band. I want to be in a bad a$$ rock band that makes sick music and melts people's faces off!

My influences: Def Tones, Tool, Rage, Meshuggah, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin, Pink Floyd, Strung Out, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi, Zepplin, Floyd the list goes on and on. Ideally, I'd like to get a strong set together, get **** tight, record it, play shows and watch a career in playing music unfold. At least that's why I moved up here to Hollywood to do anyhow.

I have pro gear, a reliable car, and am ready to throw down for a lock out space if need be. I'm uber serious, but a fun guy that has a positive attitude, a pretty radical sense of humor, and a deflated ego. I have been playing drums for 19 years and Guitar for about 17, so I write a lot of music and I pride myself in being a musician, not a monkey beating on drums (read: normal drummer). Oh, and I'm 30, which isn't quite dinosaur yet, but I definately have a sense of urgency to make something amazing happen soon!

If your serious about shiz, please hit me up and we'll talk. I didn't want to write a 3-5 page essay about me, so anything else you want to know, please email me or call me.

By the way, this is a real ad I recently found on Craig's List, in Los Angeles:

Rock Drummer Looking for New Project -

Yo. Posting says it all; no, I'm not a hired gun nor do I want money to rehearse with a band. I want to be in a bad a$$ rock band that makes sick music and melts people's faces off!

My influences: Def Tones, Tool, Rage, Meshuggah, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin, Pink Floyd, Strung Out, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi, Zepplin, Floyd the list goes on and on. Ideally, I'd like to get a strong set together, get **** tight, record it, play shows and watch a career in playing music unfold. At least that's why I moved up here to Hollywood to do anyhow.

I have pro gear, a reliable car, and am ready to throw down for a lock out space if need be. I'm uber serious, but a fun guy that has a positive attitude, a pretty radical sense of humor, and a deflated ego. I have been playing drums for 19 years and Guitar for about 17, so I write a lot of music and I pride myself in being a musician, not a monkey beating on drums (read: normal drummer). Oh, and I'm 30, which isn't quite dinosaur yet, but I definately have a sense of urgency to make something amazing happen soon!

If your serious about shiz, please hit me up and we'll talk. I didn't want to write a 3-5 page essay about me, so anything else you want to know, please email me or call me.

I think what you're facing is the "free-ness" of stuff on the internet. When you put things on eBay, you have to pay for it. Which means you're smart enough to read eBay's contract with you and understand what you're being charged for and how it gets paid. Craig's List, like that ol' standby the Recycler, functions alot cheaper or even free in some cases. Which means, it attracts people with no money hoping to get some. They don't understand that it takes money to make money, so alot of the blanks are left, well, blank.

There was time a few years ago when Knott's Berry Farm decided to let everyone in for a nickel. There was almost a riot outside the park and traffic jammed the streets. This is what happens when you give things away for free. You attract riff raff! Magic Mountain has a serious gang violence problem especially on those days they let people in for an aluminum can for their can drives. It's amazing. There's a reason things cost money, and a civil experience is one of them. It's a shame.

I've never dealt with Craig's List nor do I intend to. I'm not above anybody, really, it's just that things that are obviously so low-ball, really go below where I'm at on their own.

It's a double edged sword I suppose because I have gotten some killer deals that I don't think would exist on ebay, and I've also sold stuff the same day for what it would go for on ebay without setting up/shipping etc. Another thing thats worked out well for me is trading and item for an item straight up. I miss the good old days, but your right it seems alot more people are "riff raff" and think they can make a quick buck on the ol craigslist.

It's a double edged sword I suppose because I have gotten some killer deals that I don't think would exist on ebay, and I've also sold stuff the same day for what it would go for on ebay without setting up/shipping etc. Another thing thats worked out well for me is trading and item for an item straight up. I miss the good old days, but your right it seems alot more people are "riff raff" and think they can make a quick buck on the ol craigslist.

I hate having to admit that this could just be human nature. But history is replete with incidences of people going absolutely stupid when things are stupid cheap or when there's the possibility of getting something for nothing. It's a shame, really. That's why you see a different sort of person shopping at WalMart as opposed to shopping at the up-scale malls across America, eh?

Sorry to have lumped groups of people together, I just call it like I see it. But I do shop at WalMart from time-to-time, too.

By the way, this is a real ad I recently found on Craig's List, in Los Angeles:

Rock Drummer Looking for New Project -

Yo. Posting says it all; no, I'm not a hired gun nor do I want money to rehearse with a band. I want to be in a bad a$$ rock band that makes sick music and melts people's faces off!

My influences: Def Tones, Tool, Rage, Meshuggah, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin, Pink Floyd, Strung Out, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi, Zepplin, Floyd the list goes on and on. Ideally, I'd like to get a strong set together, get **** tight, record it, play shows and watch a career in playing music unfold. At least that's why I moved up here to Hollywood to do anyhow.

I have pro gear, a reliable car, and am ready to throw down for a lock out space if need be. I'm uber serious, but a fun guy that has a positive attitude, a pretty radical sense of humor, and a deflated ego. I have been playing drums for 19 years and Guitar for about 17, so I write a lot of music and I pride myself in being a musician, not a monkey beating on drums (read: normal drummer). Oh, and I'm 30, which isn't quite dinosaur yet, but I definately have a sense of urgency to make something amazing happen soon!

If your serious about shiz, please hit me up and we'll talk. I didn't want to write a 3-5 page essay about me, so anything else you want to know, please email me or call me.

Much respect,

(name withheld to protect the verbose)

And that's noteworthy because...? Actually, I like when people post like that. He got across a ton of useful info that I would want to know if I were looking for a drummer (or other musician).

I used to supplement my income by buying, either from CL or pawn shops, and selling. I have had hardly any luck lately because despite selling good stuff for nothing and giving great deals and putting FIRM on my listing all I get is a bunch of low balling retards that ask, or just make an offer on it. The last assclown makes me an offer and I said sorry man price is firm, then he says well if you change your mind and take my offer them give me a call and I say No if you change your mind and decide to pay what I am asking them give me a call and hung up. It seems you could sell the Hope diamond for 10 bucks and some a-hole would have to try and talk you down lower, its like its just not a good deal unless they can talk you down lower, unbelievable! I even had a guy come look and say your price is more than fair but was wondering if you would take less? and then there are the no shows, no call back, spammers and scammers. I am pretty much done with CL.
The main problem with the world today is there are wwaaaayyyyyy too many people and they all think they're special.

I like craigs. I feel smart after dealing with the people there.
I don't often feel smart! LOL

I currently have a kit listed on craigs for $300.
I listed exactly what I am selling with the kit line by line like this.

5x14 snare
8x12 tom
Snare stand
Hat stand
Etc
Etc

I then say that I am not selling any cymbals with the drums and hardware.

Someone contacted me via email and asked if I would take $250 for the kit.
I said "Yes".
The person then asked if I was selling any cymbals.
I said "No"
The person then emailed me and said that he didn't have enough money to buy my kit and cymbals so he was gong to look for a cheaper kit that came with cymbals.

What kind cymbals are you going to get that come with a $250 drum kit???
Tin pie plates I imagine!

The photos that I posted in the ad show the kit with my K Custom Hybrids and Paiste 2oo2 pies.
He thought that those cymbals went with the kit!!!

Ok, should probably be sleeping but this thread inspired me to post quickly...

I have bought and sold many musical instruments on CL here and have had my share of mixed experiences. The latest one in particular stands out for me:

I found a good deal on a 24" Sabian APX ride and need the money for the down payment. I decided to sell my Marshall DSL100 head to cover the cost and have a little walkin' around money. I took some pics and posted an ad with a week of unsuccessful results, just the occasional scammer asking if "the item(s)" was still avaliable.

Finally I get a legitimate email while a work. The guy says he has cash in hand and wants to buy it TODAY. I call him from work and I offer to meet him when I'm off. I get home a little early and sure enough he shows up. Turns out the guy is a local tattoo artist, big burly guy too, and he plays in a local band. I demo the amp for him like when I used to work at a music store and he's satisfied. Forks over $600 in cash, takes the amp and leaves, wishing me a great day.

Ok, should probably be sleeping but this thread inspired me to post quickly...

I have bought and sold many musical instruments on CL here and have had my share of mixed experiences. The latest one in particular stands out for me:

I found a good deal on a 24" Sabian APX ride and need the money for the down payment. I decided to sell my Marshall DSL100 head to cover the cost and have a little walkin' around money. I took some pics and posted an ad with a week of unsuccessful results, just the occasional scammer asking if "the item(s)" was still avaliable.

Finally I get a legitimate email while a work. The guy says he has cash in hand and wants to buy it TODAY. I call him from work and I offer to meet him when I'm off. I get home a little early and sure enough he shows up. Turns out the guy is a local tattoo artist, big burly guy too, and he plays in a local band. I demo the amp for him like when I used to work at a music store and he's satisfied. Forks over $600 in cash, takes the amp and leaves, wishing me a great day.

I really do love that cymbal...

That dude got a sweet deal! but...gasp! hope you have another amp, your still playing guitar yeah? I recently picked up a mint Peavey VTM 60 in immaculate shape for 200$ w new tubes, good deals like that are still to be had, and from decent people. The dude I bought it from was super cool, it's just been a string of bad email exchanges like right after each other this past few weeks that had bummed me out.

I got an email that asked if I would sell my drumkit that was listed for $300 for $250.
It said that he could meet with me and buy the kit that night if he liked the kit.
It was sent from an iPhone.
I responded within two mins that I would accept his offer and I would meet him
I left him my phone number.
He never called!

I got an email that asked if I would sell my drumkit that was listed for $300 for $250.
It said that he could meet with me and buy the kit that night if he liked the kit.
It was sent from an iPhone.
I responded within two mins that I would accept his offer and I would meet him
I left him my phone number.
He never called!

gotta love the craigslist flakes! That has happened to me many times, atleast you didn't agree to meet them and they never show up.

I don't know about you guys, but if I see an ad for something that I want.
I can't wait to look at it and buy it.
Especially if the seller agrees to a lower price!
I also actually read the ad and I think about it for a while before I respond.

I think what you're facing is the "free-ness" of stuff on the internet. When you put things on eBay, you have to pay for it. Which means you're smart enough to read eBay's contract with you and understand what you're being charged for and how it gets paid. Craig's List, like that ol' standby the Recycler, functions alot cheaper or even free in some cases. Which means, it attracts people with no money hoping to get some. They don't understand that it takes money to make money, so alot of the blanks are left, well, blank.

There was time a few years ago when Knott's Berry Farm decided to let everyone in for a nickel. There was almost a riot outside the park and traffic jammed the streets. This is what happens when you give things away for free. You attract riff raff! Magic Mountain has a serious gang violence problem especially on those days they let people in for an aluminum can for their can drives. It's amazing. There's a reason things cost money, and a civil experience is one of them. It's a shame.

I've never dealt with Craig's List nor do I intend to. I'm not above anybody, really, it's just that things that are obviously so low-ball, really go below where I'm at on their own.

Oh man! Exactly!!

A couple years ago, my wife and I went to our local zoo on "free day" with a friend of ours. I didn't really want to go on that day as I had an idea of what to expect.

It was actually worse than I thought it would be. Every dirtbag in town with an inflated sense of entitlement was there. These inconsiderate people practically trash the whole place. I really can't believe they even have such a day. I think I would have felt safer walking through a prison....

I don't know... I posted an add yesterday for a pair of hats that I'm not using and aren't doing me an good. Got a text within an hour of posting from someone trying to get my price way down, although to be honest, that persons starting price of $100 would have had me break even - which isn't bad. But today I got a call from someone that simply wants them and practices in the same building as I do. I expect to sell them tonight for asking price (although, I won't hesitate to knock off 20 bucks if they so much as ask).

I've had very few bad experiences. Actually, no bad experiences, unlike eBay where I've been stiffed on the last two transactions (both 21" A Zildjian Medium Rides, too. Go figure), just some more successful than others. Maybe I've just been lucky or maybe Seattle area CL users aren't as bad as they are in other areas.

...today I got a call from someone that simply wants them and practices in the same building as I do. I expect to sell them tonight for asking price (although, I won't hesitate to knock off 20 bucks if they so much as ask).

Just to follow up, this sale went off without a hitch. Sold with no haggling just one day after posting. I got more for those hats than I paid for them on eBay and didn't have to pay any fees or screw around with shipping.

Go Craigslist!

(Now if I can just get this other moron to come down on his stupid high price for his ride cymbal that I really want...)

These are the same people who love to sell SAXAPHONES and not Saxophones. I can't believe how many people can't spell this word. Or the same people who don't know that a Sousaphone is not a Tuba for gods sake.

__________________
Less than 300 days until retirement.
Gretsch Renown

I've sold and bought literally hundreds of things off Craigslist and networked via the musicans section dozens of times in the past few years. However it seems now anyone I talk to is insane. Is it just me in my city or are people on craigslist getting stupider?

Situation 1- I respond to an ad with 3 drums pictured and no phone number. I send an email and ask what sizes are the drums? can I call you to set up a time to check them out" my reply was "No we don't deal with scammers go fish for some phonenumbers elsewhere expletive" Was that called for? why wouldn't I ask for a phone number if one wasn't listed? I emailed them using a .edu email account...huh?

Situation 2- I have an ad up looking for a guitarist. I get a response "Looking still?" I reply yes and send maybe 4-5 sentances of information about the band pretty standard stuff and ask them a few questions. My reply back is in all caps and just says "DIDNT ASK FOR YOUR expletive LIFE STORY GEEZ"

Am I crazy or is everyone else on CL crazy?

HA! Not the sharpest cookies in the shed there.

I have found some flakes. When I put in ads to find people to play with I add in "NO SMOOTH JAZZ OR ANKLE MONITORING BRACELETS" and that shoos away the undesirables.

Me; Would you like to see the drums some evening this week?
Every night except Thursday is good for me.

Buyer; Uh, I don't know what night that I can make it!
Uh, Could I come on Thurs?

That is when I disconnect the call.

wow.. sounds like that guy can't comprehend things from a few seconds ago lol.

I reluctantly listed some guitar stuff I had lying around. One item was a Boss TU-3 pedal and clearly my ad states "no adapter or box" I have gotten 3 emails asking if i'll throw in an adapter....uhhg. It's not like it even comes with one!